Experience the best of East Africa on this 11 Day Kenya Safari and gorilla Trekking, combining 7 days of classic Kenyan safari with 4 days of gorilla adventure in Uganda.
Your journey begins in Kenya with the dramatic landscapes of Amboseli, where large elephant herds roam beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Continue through the Great Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, where you’ll exchange the safari vehicle for a boat ride among hippos and a guided walking safari among giraffes and zebras.
The Kenyan chapter reaches its climax with three nights in the Maasai Mara, giving you two full days to search for the Big Five, follow predators across the savannah and, during migration season, experience the Great Wildebeest Migration.
From the open plains of Kenya, fly to Uganda for a completely different wildlife experience. Spend four days surrounded by the misty mountains and ancient rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with two separate gorilla trekking experiences. Having two treks gives you more time in gorilla country and the opportunity to encounter different habituated gorilla families and experience the forest under different conditions.
From elephants beneath Kilimanjaro to lions on the Mara plains and mountain gorillas deep in the rainforest, this is an East African journey designed around extraordinary wildlife encounters
This 11 Day Kenya Safari and Gorilla trekking combines the classic African safari with one of the continent’s most intimate wildlife encounters. Spend seven days discovering elephants beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, cruising among hippos at Lake Naivasha and enjoying three nights of exceptional Big Five game viewing in the Maasai Mara before travelling to Uganda for not one, but two mountain gorilla treks in Bwindi’s ancient rainforest. The contrast between Kenya’s sweeping golden savannahs and Uganda’s mist-covered forests makes this an exceptional choice for travellers who want to experience East Africa beyond the ordinary.
Your East African adventure begins in Nairobi, where your private safari driver-guide will meet you at your hotel, residence or agreed pick-up point.
Travel south in your customized 4x4 Land Cruiser toward Amboseli National Park.
On clear days, Mount Kilimanjaro rises dramatically beyond the plains, creating one of Africa's most iconic safari landscapes.
Arrive at your lodge or tented camp for lunch before heading into the park for your first game drive.
Amboseli is particularly famous for its elephants. Large family groups can often be seen crossing the plains and feeding in the wetlands.
Your guide will also search for lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and numerous antelope species.
Overnight: Amboseli
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
Wake early for the possibility of beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds gather around its summit.
After breakfast, spend the day exploring Amboseli's different habitats.
Visit the wildlife-rich wetlands, where elephants, buffaloes, hippos and numerous bird species gather around the permanent water sources.
Continue to Observation Hill for panoramic views across the marshes and surrounding plains.
With your private safari vehicle, you'll have the freedom to spend more time at particularly rewarding sightings.
Return to your lodge for lunch and relaxation before another afternoon game drive.
Overnight: Amboseli
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, leave Amboseli and begin your journey toward the magnificent Great Rift Valley.
Arrive at Lake Naivasha and enjoy lunch before heading onto the water for a relaxing boat safari.
Cruise across the freshwater lake while looking out for hippos and abundant birdlife, including African fish eagles, pelicans, cormorants and kingfishers.
Continue toward Crescent Island for a guided walking safari.
Here you'll have the unusual opportunity to walk among giraffes, zebras, waterbucks, wildebeest and antelopes in beautiful open surroundings.
Return to your lodge for a relaxed evening beside the lake.
Overnight: Lake Naivasha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy breakfast before departing Lake Naivasha for the legendary Maasai Mara.
Travel through the Great Rift Valley and Maasai countryside before reaching the sweeping grasslands of the Mara.
After arrival and lunch, head out for your first game drive.
The Maasai Mara supports one of Africa's greatest concentrations of wildlife. Look out for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest and numerous antelopes while your guide searches for lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Return to your lodge or luxury tented camp as the sun sets across the savannah.
Overnight: Maasai Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today is dedicated entirely to exploring one of Africa's most celebrated wildlife ecosystems.
After breakfast, venture deep into the reserve in search of the Big Five and the Mara's extraordinary predator population.
Depending on wildlife movements, travel toward the Mara River, where hippos and Nile crocodiles inhabit the waterways.
During the Great Wildebeest Migration season, generally between July and October, vast herds of wildebeest and zebras move through the greater Maasai Mara–Serengeti ecosystem.
Your guide will follow current wildlife activity, giving you the flexibility to spend longer at exceptional sightings.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the wilderness before continuing your afternoon game drive.
Overnight: Maasai Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Having three nights in the Maasai Mara means you don't have to rush.
Set out early when predators are often particularly active and explore a different section of the reserve.
Search for lions returning from their nighttime hunts, cheetahs scanning the plains and, with some luck, the elusive leopard.
During migration season, your guide can dedicate more time to following the movements of wildebeest and zebras. River crossings are completely natural events and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
For an unforgettable start to your day, add an optional sunrise hot-air balloon safari over the Maasai Mara.
An optional Maasai cultural experience can also be arranged.
Return to your camp for your final evening in the Kenyan wilderness.
Overnight: Maasai Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy breakfast at your lodge or camp before checking out.
Depending on your schedule, enjoy wildlife viewing as you leave the reserve and begin your journey back toward Nairobi.
Travel through the Great Rift Valley, arriving in Nairobi later in the afternoon.
Transfer to your hotel or airport depending on the confirmed flight arrangements for the Ugandan chapter of your journey.
This marks the end of your 7-day Kenya safari and the beginning of an entirely different adventure.
Overnight: Nairobi or travel according to flight schedule
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight from Nairobi to Uganda.
Upon arrival, connect with your onward arrangements toward the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park region.
For a more comfortable luxury itinerary, the journey can be arranged using a domestic flight to an airstrip serving the appropriate Bwindi sector, followed by a scenic road transfer to your forest lodge.
Arrive at your lodge and spend the remainder of the evening relaxing and preparing for tomorrow's trek.
Overnight: Bwindi Region
Meals: According to confirmed flight schedule and lodge plan
Today brings one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters in Africa.
After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated park headquarters for registration and a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger team.
You'll then enter the ancient rainforest accompanied by experienced trackers and guides.
The trek can last anywhere from a few hours to much of the day depending on the location of your allocated gorilla family. The forest can be steep, muddy and challenging, making the eventual encounter even more rewarding.
Once the gorillas are located, you'll spend the permitted viewing period quietly observing a habituated mountain gorilla family.
Watch a silverback resting beneath the forest canopy, mothers caring for their young and juveniles playing among the vegetation.
After the encounter, trek back through the forest and return to your lodge.
The remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax.
Overnight: Bwindi Region
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, you return to the forest.
After breakfast, report once again to the appropriate park headquarters for your second gorilla trekking experience.
No two gorilla treks are exactly alike.
The gorillas may be in a completely different part of the forest, weather conditions may have changed, and subject to ranger allocation and permit availability, you may be assigned to a different habituated gorilla family.
Your second trek gives you another opportunity to appreciate details that can easily be missed during the excitement of the first encounter.
Once the gorillas are located, spend the permitted viewing period observing their behaviour and interactions in their natural habitat.
After completing your trek, return to the lodge for a well-earned afternoon of relaxation.
Enjoy your final evening surrounded by the misty forests and mountains of southwestern Uganda.
Overnight: Bwindi Region
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast surrounded by the beautiful green landscapes of Bwindi.
Depending on your selected package, transfer by road to the appropriate airstrip for a scheduled domestic flight to Entebbe, or travel overland if preferred.
Upon arrival in Entebbe, connect with your onward international flight or continue with your own travel arrangements.
Your 11-Day Kenya Safari & Double Gorilla Trekking Adventure comes to an end after an extraordinary journey from elephants beneath Kilimanjaro and predators on the Maasai Mara plains to two intimate encounters with mountain gorillas deep inside Uganda's ancient rainforest
